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Friday, April 11, 2014

The episode
of Raw following
WrestleMania is most always memorable, and Raw the night after WrestleMania 30 was
certainly no exception. The Shield lived up to their “Hounds Of Justice”
moniker by rescuing Daniel Bryan from actual injustice at the hands of
Triple-H. Cesaro hitched his wagon to Paul Heyman, a move that can only help
the “King Of Swing’s” already sizzling momentum. Perhaps every bit as important
as either of these things, though, was the large presence the NXT brand had on the show.

The April 7
edition of Raw
was notable for the appearances of two NXTstars: Paige (the first and, to
date, only NXTDivas
champion) and Alexander Rusev (with his valet, Lana, by his side).
Additionally, vignettes aired for Adam Rose and former NXTchamp Bo Dallas. Rusev dominated
Zack Ryder in his first televised singles match on the main roster. Rose and
Dallas’ vignettes were both well received. Paige made perhaps the biggest
impression of the pack, putting an end to AJ Lee’s nearly 300-day WWE Divas
title reign.

When AJ was
interrupted by the debuting Paige, a sizable portion of the live crowd seemed
to already be familiar with the self-proclaimed “Anti-Diva.” Sure, those in
attendance the night after WrestleMania tend to be a hip crowd. Maybe some of
those chanting for Paige had been following her since her days on the
independent circuit. Still, one can’t help but get the feeling that the
increased visibility of NXT (including its recent Arrival special) helped to
make her debut all the more newsworthy.

Broad
access to NXT programming, both through the WWE Network and Hulu, has fostered
an awareness of WWE’s developmental system, which would have previously been
unthinkable. Go ahead and watch the debuts of John Cena, Brock Lesnar, and
Randy Orton. All three men were products of lengthy stints in WWE developmental
(at the time, quartered at Ohio Valley Wrestling). All three made a big impact
pretty quickly. Yet few fans seemed to have any idea who these men were when
they first appeared. In a sense, they had their work cut out for them. Thanks
to the weekly NXT broadcasts being available online, burgeoning stars like
Paige, Rusev, and Emma have already established loyal fan bases by the time
they get to compete on Raw or Smackdown.

Lest one
get the idea that NXT is merely a useful tool for young wrestlers, it’s also
important to consider that the brand is good for fans. The sort of wrestling on
NXT broadcasts is, for the time being anyway, markedly different than what we
see on Raw and Smackdown. It’s quirkier, with a diverse crop
of colorful characters that are learning to express themselves in new and
unusual ways. The in-ring action is often more vibrant and unpredictable. In
short, it is definitely an alternative to the other, more mainstream WWE
programming.

At the same
time, NXT might not remain a simple alternative for much longer. As more of its
stars make the leap to the main roster—Cesaro, The Wyatt Family, and The Shield
all cut their teeth at NXT—the tastes of fans change, and the norm shifts. Raw and Smackdown will continue to evolve to meet the
desires of fans. That’s how we have come to see someone like Daniel Bryan, who
hardly considered a career in WWE years ago, as one of the faces of the company
in 2014. It’s an exciting time for the company, as the new guard challenges the
old guard and encourages it to step up its game. Fans who want to see into the
future know where to look. WWE developmental has, for years now, been a window
into the future. It just so happens that millions of people can now peer
through that window on a weekly basis.

Thursday, April 3, 2014

Wrestling’s biggest spectacle celebrates 30 years this
Sunday, when WrestleMania takes overthe Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. Fans can count on
the PWI team to be all over event, including with live Tweeting Sunday night
(@OfficialPWI) and the usual wall-to-wall coverage in the July issue (digital edition on sale May 1; print edition on sale May 27),
including our annual “Real Winners And Losers” feature. To kick things off, here are our staff predictions for
WrestleMania 30, courtesy of Publisher Stu Saks, Senior writers Dan Murphy and Al
Castle, and Contributing Writers Mike Bessler and Kevin McElvaney.

Randy Orton vs. Batista vs. Daniel Bryan or Triple-H:

Triple-Threat Match for the WWE World heavyweight championship

Saks: Bryan

Murphy: Bryan

Castle: Bryan

Bessler: Bryan

McElvaney: Bryan

Analysis: It’s unanimous. We envision WrestleMania 30 ending
much the same as most of you probably do: With 70,000 rabid New Orleans fans
thrusting their index figers skyward and greeting the new World champ with a
boisterous chant of “Yes! Yes! Yes!”

Triple-H vs. Daniel Bryan: Winner gets added to the World
heavyweight title main event

Saks: Bryan

Murphy: Bryan

Castle: Bryan

Bessler: Bryan

McElvaney: Bryan

Analysis: Our unanimous picks for the title match pretty
much give away how we all think this match will conclude. That’s not to say it
will be easy for the leader of the “Yes Movement.” We expect the Authority to
put every obstacle possible in Bryan’s way to prevent him from coming out of
this match victorious, and for Bryan to conquer them all.

The Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar

Saks: Undertaker

Murphy: Undertaker

Castle: Undertaker

Bessler: Undertaker

McElvaney: Undertaker

Analysis: Fool us once, shame on you. Fool us 21 times,
shame on us. None of us are about to bet against the “Dead Man” extending his
revered WrestleMania winning streak to 22-0. And, frankly, WWE hasn’t done a
very good job convincing us that the former UFC heavyweight champ is even that much
of a threat. To be sure, we’ll see 'Taker go down for some convincing nearfalls
throughout the match, but we won’t buy it. Or, at least, we’ll try not to.

John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt

Saks: Wyatt

Murphy: Cena

Castle: Cena

Bessler: Cena

McElvaney: Wyatt

Analysis: Finally, something we can’t agree on. We’re leaning toward Cena getting the duke
here, if only to make up for slotting WWE’s biggest star in a mid-card match
at the biggest show of the year. But with fan favorites expected to triumph in
the night’s other big matches, this may be an opportunity to keep Wyatt’s
momentum going en route to an even higher-stakes rematch with Cena at next
month’s Extreme Rules event.

Andre the Giant Memorial 30-man battle royal

Saks: Big Show

Murphy: Sheamus

Castle: Hulk Hogan

Bessler: Big E

McElvaney: Big E

Analysis: With 30 possible outcomes, it’s not surprising we
couldn’t reach a consensus. But a couple of us are counting on WWE taking the
opportunity to shine the WrestleMania spotlight on Intercontinental champion
Big E. Despite WWE’s portrayal of the 7-foot Big Show as Andre’s heir apparent,
only one of us is picking him as the winner. And one of us thinking a battle
royal is just the right setting for Hulkamania to once again run wild, without
the "Hulkster" never having to leave his feet.

The Shield vs. The New Age Outlaws
& Kane

Saks: Shield

Murphy: Shield

Castle: Kane/Outlaws

Bessler: Kane/Outlaws

McElvaney: Shield

Analysis: By a narrow margin, we’re picking the “Hounds Of
Justice” to get the win over the veteran team. It’s worth noting that the
youngest member of the Authority team, Road Dogg, made his pro wrestling
debut the same year The Shield’s youngest member, Rollins, was born. So it’s
fair to say The Shield will have youth on their side.

14-Woman Vickie Guerrero Invitational Divas Championship Match

Saks: Natalya

Murphy: AJ Lee

Castle: Natalya

Bessler: Eva Marie

McElvaney: AJ Lee

Analysis: We’re pretty much split on whether AJ Lee will
continue her reign as the longest Divas champ in WWE history, or if the
sympathetic Natalya will realize her dream of recapturing the title at the
“Showcase Of The Immortals.” It will likely come down to what makes for more
compelling reality show fodder for Total Divas.

Analysis: Because the goal of the opening match at
WrestleMania is typically to get the fans in the arena and at home excited for
what’s ahead, we’re counting on the popular and energetic tag champs keeping
their belts in this, the pre-show match.